Seven new University Professorships have been endowed at Princeton University through major gifts to the Venture Forward campaign. The University Professorship is the most prestigious honor Princeton bestows on a faculty member. Recipients of the honor are recognized for demonstrating scholarly preeminence in their professional accomplishments, as well as making exceptional contributions to the University’s research and teaching community.

“The foundation of Princeton’s excellence is the quality of its faculty, and the University Professorship recognizes individuals who have produced transformative scholarship and are spectacular teachers,” said President Christopher L. Eisgruber. “We are deeply grateful to the alumni and friends who have made a timeless commitment to Princeton’s educational mission by endowing these University Professorships.”

The new University Professorships include:

• The Andrew K. Golden University Professorship;
• The Bruce R. Lauritzen University Professorship;
• The Neil A. Omenn ’68 University Professorship;
• The Thor Johnson *02 University Professorship;
• The U. Krishna Veeraraghavan ’99 and Sejal Shah University Professorship;
• The William M. Addy ’82 University Professorship; and
• A gift for an additional University Professorship that has been committed by donors who wish their contribution to be confidential at this time.

University Professorships are reserved for those faculty members who have achieved an exceptional level of accomplishment. Since 1962, only 73 members of the Princeton faculty have held the title. Among them are seven recipients of the Nobel Prize, two Fields Medalists and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. University Professorships are not associated with any specific academic discipline, allowing Princeton to celebrate the achievements of scholars in any field.

“University Professorships represent a unique opportunity for Princeton to recognize peerless educators who conduct world-class research and scholarship that can have a profound impact on the world,” said Gene Jarrett, dean of the faculty and the William S. Tod Professor of English. “The professorships are a singular honor for Princeton faculty members who receive them. We are extremely grateful to the generous alumni and friends who have endowed them and for their commitment to Princeton’s academic excellence.”

The Neil A. Omenn ’68 University Professorship. In September 2024, Howard Stone, a leading engineering scholar and pioneer in fluid dynamics research who joined the Princeton faculty in 2009, was named the Neil A. Omenn ’68 University Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The professorship was made possible by a gift from the couple Gilbert Omenn ’61 and Martha Darling *70, in memory of Gil’s brother. Neil Omenn worked in fiscal affairs for the City of Philadelphia and then became an investment adviser. "Princeton was very important to Neil," said Gil Omenn and Martha Darling. "He began with the Class of 1966, left to complete his Army service and returned to graduate with a degree in politics as a member of the Class of 1968. … We think he’d be extremely pleased to have his name now associated with the University in this manner."

The William M. Addy ’82 University Professorship. At the Board of Trustees meeting on May 26, Margaret Martonosi, whose research in computer architecture has led to breakthroughs in the development of both classical and quantum hardware and software systems, was named the William M. Addy ’82 University Professor. The professorship was endowed by Bill Addy and his wife, Lydia Addy. “My parents met at Michigan State University (MSU). They loved MSU and it was the primary beneficiary of their philanthropy. Their philanthropic attitude towards MSU really rubbed off on us — in particular my dad’s belief in the power of great teachers,” Bill Addy said. “Some professors are great researchers, but they’re not great teachers. … Great professor-researcher-teachers like the ones I had at the School of Engineering and Applied Science are rare, and that’s who Lydia and I hope Princeton honors with the William M. Addy ’82 University Professorship.”

The Andrew K. Golden University Professorship was endowed by a small group of donors to honor Golden, who was president of the Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO) from 1995 to 2024, a period in which the University endowment grew tenfold. “As president of PRINCO for nearly 30 years, Andrew Golden made an enormous impact in the University’s ability to fulfill its promise to its students and its mission to serve humanity,” said Bob Peck ’88, representing a group of contributors. “The Andrew K. Golden University Professorship celebrates his role in the quintessential aspect of what the University is about — excellence in teaching and research — and we can’t imagine a more fitting honor for a man whose three decades of incredible work on behalf of the University has helped make that possible.”

The Bruce R. Lauritzen University Professorship was endowed by Clark Lauritzen ’99 and members of the Lauritzen family in memory of their father. Bruce Lauritzen was head of the First National Bank of Omaha, a family-owned business that began in the 1850s and now is led by Clark Lauritzen. “I’m the sixth generation in our family’s business, and there’s very much a passion for service to your community ingrained in our family and in our company,” Clark Lauritzen said. “I think that just translated right into Princeton, and he felt an obligation to give back, to pay it forward. The notion that there will be a Bruce R. Lauritzen University Professorship is just so perfect to me, my wife, my sisters and the extended Lauritzen family, and it’s a legacy that I know would make him very proud.”

The Thor Johnson *02 University Professorship was endowed by Carl “Thor” Johnson *02, who received his Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton. “One of the biggest lessons I learned at Princeton was not to be afraid to tackle hard problems,” Johnson said. “The University has world-class people conducting pathfinding research, and my adviser, Paul Seymour, the Albert Baldwin Dod Professor of Mathematics, is arguably the world’s foremost authority in the field of graph theory. Certainly, a great deal of his success is due to natural talent, but it became clear to me that what was equally essential to his brilliance was his pure love of doing graph theory. … When you can recruit a person like that to a collaborative environment like Princeton, I think there is a virtuous cycle that attracts other top people, and I hope this University Professorship serves as a force multiplier in solving some of the world’s most significant problems.”

The U. Krishna Veeraraghavan ’99 and Sejal Shah University Professorship was endowed by Sejal Shah and Krishna Veeraraghavan ’99. Shah is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and medical director of SmarterSkin Dermatology, a private cosmetic dermatology clinic in New York City; Veeraraghavan is global co-head of the mergers and acquisitions group at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. “I’ve always been proud of Princeton’s single-minded pursuit of excellence,” Krishna Veeraraghavan said. “As Sejal and I thought about ways to give back, one of the things that became clear to us was the importance of attracting the best and brightest professors. … By establishing this University Professorship, we hope Princeton will honor brilliant teachers who’ve not only produced world-class research — but who also have a capacity for even greater future growth.”

For more on the Venture Forward gifts supporting the new University Professorships, please see the Princeton Alumni website.